Improvement in envelopes



L.H. mamas.

ENVELOPE.

' No.188 ,3o6. Patented March 13, .1877.

N. PETERS. PHDTO-LITHOORAPHER, WASHINGTON. D 0.

Fig.2.

f f l 4 A 6 STATES PATENT 1 IMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPES.

' Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 188.306. dated March 13, 1877; application filed I February 6, 1877. 4

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEBBEUS H. ROGERS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Letter-Sheet and Envelope, of which the following is a specification:

In Letters Patent No. 185,785, granted to me December 26, 1876, there is described a combined letter-sheet and envelope, consisting of a sheet of writing-paper provided with sealing-flaps cut from and formed within the compass of the body of the sheet, and adapted to be folded outwardly around the edges of the folded sheet. This is, however, so arranged that the letter may be opened without breaking the seal, thus requiring but one-cent postage for its transmission. It may be desirable at times, however, to secure the letter so that it cannot be opened without breaking the sealing-flaps. It is to this end that my present invention, .which is an improvement on my patented device, is directed. I also form the sealing-flaps, preferably, at one or the other extremity of the sheet, and form in the paper between the flaps and the body of the sheet a line of perforations, extending across the sheet from side to side, so that when the letter is received the portion containing the flaps may readily be torn off, leaving a clean uniform sheet, fit to be filed away.

The nature of my improvements will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 represents an unfolded sheet made in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 represents the same sheet folded and partly sealed.

The flaps A are, in this instance, formed in the upper part of the sheet. The incisions made in the sheet in order to form each flap are marked 1 2 3,, and are indicated by the full lines, as seen on the left in Fig. 1. The flap thus formed is gummed on its rear face, and to be used must be bent backward or rearwardly, turning on the line a as its axis, un til its position is reversed, so as to bring its gummed faced to the front, as shown on the right in Fig. l. The part B of the sheet is then folded upon the line b, and then the part 0 of the sheet containing the flaps is folded down on the part B, thus bringing the flaps to the position indicated on the left in Fig. 2. The flaps are now folded around the side edges of the letter, and are sealed on the rear face of the middle fold of the sheet. The whole surface of the flaps being gummed, itwill be seen that a portion'of the gummed surface .will, through the openings in the sheet, come in contact with and adhere to the bottom'fold B also, thus sealing the letter effectually.

I prefer to perforate the flap along the line 4, where it folds around the side edges. I also prefer to perforate it along line 5, where its large and small parts unite. Neither of these lines of perforations are indispensable; but they will be found on many accounts use: ful. The perforations 4 allow the flaps to be readily broken when it is desired to open the letter. The line 5 of perforations allows the small part of the flap to be torn off, if desired, thus leaving an open space at the edge, through which the gummed surface of the flap may reach the bottom fold B. This result, however, is also equally well attained by leaving the small piece and turning the spade-like flap on the line a, as above described.

If, on the other hand, it is not desired to seal the letter, so that it may not be opened piece or tail of the flap can be allowed to remain without turning with the body of the flap. In this case the flap will be substantially the same, andhave'the same action as described in my above-named Letters Patent. Thus, by the construction described, the letter may be suited for either one-cent or threecent postage, at the will of the sender.

Another means of accomplishing this result is shown in Fig. 3, where, in addition to the side flaps, is provided a gummed flap at the top edge of the sheet, which, when the latter is folded, may be turned down upon, and caused to adhere to, the bottom flap B.

It may be noted that the mucilage can be put either on the flap or on the hack of the sheetat the points where the flaps come when the letter is folded; or both sheet and flaps may be gummed.

The flaps are formed at the top portion of the sheet, preferably, to permit them to be cut off from the body of the sheet by line of perwithout breaking the flaps, then the small forations, f. The object of this is, that when the letter is received the flap portion of the sheet may be readily torn 01f, so as to leave a clean entire sheet, suitable to be folded and filed away.

Theflaps may be otherwise and variously constructed, to allow them to be used to close the letter, so that it may be opened or not without breaking the flaps, at the will of the sender. For instance, the flaps may be longitudinally slit or divided, or perforated, to allow them to be so divided, if desired, ashindicated at s in Fig. 3.

In this case, in order to tightly seal the letter, one division of the flap will fold over onto the back of the letter, and the other will be tucked between the flap portion of the sheet and the lower fold. Mucilage, of course, will be provided at proper points for sealing. In case the letter is to be left so that it may be opened without breaking the flaps, then the slit flaps will be used as whole flaps.

Other modes of attaining the same result 'might be suggested; but the above will suffice 1. A 'combined letter-sheet and envelope,

providedwith sealing-flaps, within the compass of the body of the sheet, formed and. arranged substantially as shown and described, whereby they may be used either to seal the letter or to close the same in such manner as to allow it to be openedwithout breaking the sealing-flaps.

2. The combined letter-sheet and envelope, formed with sealingflaps, made substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with or without perforations along the several lines of fold of the flaps, as set forth. I

3. A combined letter-sheet and envelope, provided with sealing-flaps formed in a portion of the sheet separated from the main por-,

.tion thereof by a line of perforations, which LEBBEUS H. ROGERS.

Witnesses:

M. M. BUDLONG, F. B. MOGAY. 

